Newspeak or Fusion of Horizons? Looking for Alternatives in Information Systems Research Suggested running headline: Newspeak or Fusion of Horizons

Only a hermeneutically oriented approach to knowledge can overcome the problems of incommensurability that arise in science, in general, and, information systems research, in particular. We argue that information systems research, especially when focused on systems integration, will advance if its problems are understood using Gadamer’s concept of fusion of horizons. We extend Boland’s work on the user’s interpretation of the output of an information system by framing the problem in a more general way. Instead of an arbitrary administrative solution (Newspeak), we propose to develop a hermeneutic solution (fusion of horizons), one that begins by recognizing the important dimensions of difference that separate potential users of the same information system.